Twilight of Empire, Free While Supplies Last

TWILIGHT OF EMPIRE: RESPONSES TO OCCUPATION New 2nd Printing with a foreword by Howard Zinn
Contributors: Lynsey Addario, Fadhil al-Azzawi, Medea Benjamin, Tiosha Bojorquez Chapela, Kristina Borjesson, Anne E. Brodsky, Mike Davis, Jodie Evans, Tahmeena Faryal, Sandra Fu, Amy Goodman, Amir Hussain, Eman Ahmed Khammas, Naomi Klein, Mark LeVine, Yanar Mohammed, Viggo Mortensen, Christian Parenti, Jerry Quickley, Omid Safi, Lauren Sandler, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, Nadia Yassine, Howard Zinn Now that the Bush administration's occupation of Iraq has become more about enforcing the economic and political objectives of a corporate elite and less about disarming a dictator that used to be an American ally and had nothing to do with the tragedies of 9/11, a spirited and informed analysis of the conflagration -- and its various casualties -- is needed more than ever. Twilight of Empire fulfills that growing hunger for desperately needed on-the-ground truth and context far from the talking-head misinformation offered by conventional media outlets. Many of the contributors have seen the devastation of American imperialism in Iraq first-hand. Code Pink's Jodie Evans, who traveled to Baghdad directly before and after the war, explains the stratification between American economic interests and Iraqi helplessness that is the occupation's chief characteristic. Yanar Mohammed, Anne Brodsky and RAWA's Tahmeena Faryal chronicle the abuse of Muslim women by both American occupiers and the increasingly fundamentalist Middle East citizenry. Ambassador Joseph Wilson -- no stranger to the Bush administration's wrong-headed execution of the invasion, as well as the last American official to meet with Saddam Hussein -- condemns the secrecy, shortsightedness and subterfuge at the heart of the president's campaign for war in Iraq. Twilight of Empire also widens the scope of the occupation, connecting the dots and spotting the disturbing trends of economic opportunism at the heart of America's current foreign policy. Mark LeVine finds troubling similarities between the occupation of Iraq and Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, award-winning journalist Kristina Borjesson explains the invaluable hijacking of American mainstream media that made executing the war politically feasible, Naomi Klein breaks down the administration's alarming war profiteering through multinationals like Halliburton and Bechtel, and more. The book is filled with harrowing narratives from photographer Lynsey Addario. Twilight of Empire refuses to shy away from the disconcerting state of Baghdad's infrastructure, the architectural and cultural devastation of Iraqi cities, and the mounting dissatisfaction with an American provisional authority seemingly disinterested in the safety, health and well-being of the society which it aims to liberate and democratize. Twilight of Empire is ultimately an unflinching look at the corporate greed and manipulation at the bottom of what may be the most bungled foreign policy project in United States history. With the bodies piling up and no success in sight, Americans can no longer and sit idly by while their elected (and unelected) leaders gamble their future away. Twilight of Empire is a call for transparency and truth from an esteemed assemblage invested in putting the chaotic Iraqi puzzle together for those who are interested. This is the second printing which includes a new forward by Howard Zinn. ISBN 0-9763009-0-7, softcover, 9.5 x 6.5 inches, 130 pages $14.95 | Free while supplies last Via Perceval Press, pay only shipping at check-out. -Diane

Countdown

The struggle with reality.

-Diane

AT RISK: Iraqi children gather around a pool of water at a refugee camp in Najaf, the southern city where UNICEF has reported cholera cases among children younger than 12.

-Diane

Teh Surge is Awesome!

BAGHDAD -- Bombings, sectarian slayings and other violence related to the war killed at least 1,773 Iraqi civilians in August, the second month in a row that civilian deaths have risen, according to government figures obtained Friday.

In July, the civilian death toll was 1,753, and in June it was 1,227. The numbers are based on morgue, hospital and police records and come from officials in the ministries of Health, Defense and the Interior. The statistics appear to indicate that President Bush's increase in troops this year has done little to rein in civilian bloodshed, despite U.S. military statements to the contrary.


Military officials continue to say the surge is working because civilian deaths are down. There was a time that they did not count people who had died in suicide blasts, so perhaps now they are no longer counting dead people.

-Diane

Late night rock.

The New Pornographers: "My Rights Versus Yours"

-Diane

Caption this.

-Diane

Michigan News

The mayor of Hillsdale, Michigan has revealed today that he is being treated for testicular cancer. Mayor Michael Sessions gained national exposure in 2005 when he was elected as a write-in candidate at age 18.

Michael is now 19, and a freshman at Hillsdale College, and serving his second year as mayor of the city.

You can wish him well here:

Mayor Sessions's Contact Information
Michael Sessions, Mayor Hillsdale
City Hall 97 North Broad Street
Hillsdale, MI 49242
msessions@ci.hillsdale.mi.us

-Diane

Baptist Church Bans Babies

Yoga for babies is evil. Who knew?

Granted, yoga for babies doesn't have that same 'family values' quality as that of other activities of compassionate conservatives...


-Diane

-Diane

"It's Okay, It's in Your DNA"

-Diane

Well.

All y'all know how I hate it when you all talk at once.

-Diane

Hillary on Letterman

Hillary gets serious, and discusses the war in Iraq, and her plans for Iraq -- and returning Veterans -- if she's elected President.

Thoughts on her comments?

-Diane

Hillary's Top Ten

From Letterman last night. Number 6 -- "My Vice-President will never shoot anybody in the face."

-Diane

BBC: 4 million Iraqis have fled their homes to escape the violence in Iraq. Refugee camps are now overflowing, and are turning away refugees, forcing many to set up makeshift camps wherever they can, and with whatever they can. Even the camps have few supplies to share with those in need, no access to basic medical care, or schooling for children.

-Diane

A new report suggests that the Iraqi police force should be scrapped altogether, and completely rebuilt. This really knocks the wind out of any suggestions that there have been accomplishments, or progress made in these past 4+ years.

-Diane

Pony Blow: Teh Surge is Awesome

Part One.

Q Is the administration trying to get GAO to revise some of their assessments in their Iraq report?

MR. SNOW: No, at this point, I don't think -- you talk about revising assessments and you've got a draft report that's been making its way around -- the Pentagon has suggested that there are some factual -- it believes it has some compelling facts that may bear on some of the conclusions that have been drawn. But it's my understanding that, typically --



Part Two.

MR. SNOW: I understand. Our position on this is that let's hear what the generals have to say. What we do have is a situation in which you have real -- I think two things. Number one, it is clear that the surge is producing significant results. And that does not seem to be an object of controversy -- really a significant controversy anymore. Number one, Senator Warner believes that somehow withdrawing troops or withdrawing a brigade might have some impact on the political situation. It's pretty clear that the Iraqis have been working the political situation themselves. We had the meeting with the Prime Minister and members of the presidency council, and we're going to have to see what happens. The President certainly welcomed that meeting and welcomed their determination to work on a lot of the key issues. And we're going to have to see what happens when the parliament reconvenes in a couple of weeks.

Full transcript of the August 30th briefing here.

-Diane

"More Realism, Less Spin"

Mr. Bush has invoked Vietnam to argue against leaving Iraq. That argument is specious, but there is a chilling similarity between the two American foreign policy disasters. In Vietnam, as in Iraq, American presidents and military leaders went to great lengths to pretend that victory was at hand when nothing could be farther from the truth.

Indeed.

-Diane

-Diane

-Diane

Fred Thompson

He's almost in some more.


-Diane

Ben Harper: "Steal My Kisses"

-Diane

Part One of Tom DeLay discussing Larry Craig's arrest and guilty verdict on Hardball with Tweety.



Part Two.

-Diane

Wolf Blitzer has a preview of Hillary Clinton's appearance on David Letterman's show tonight.

-Diane

Olbermann on the White House attempting to water down the GAO report.

-Diane

Young boys light up candles for the victims of clashes in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 80 kilometers (50 miles) south Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007. Clashes between rival Shiite militias, that broke out in Karbala during a religious festival, claimed more than 50 lives. Security was heightened in other Shiite areas to prevent clashes from spreading. (AP Photo/Ghassan al-Yassiri)


-Diane

Wow.

Now if these politicians come back to the US and tell us Iraq is making wonderful progress...someone test them for drugs.

-Diane

3,735

The Toll.

-Diane

Panic! at the UN

United Nations weapons inspectors discovered six to eight vials of a dangerous nerve gas, phosgene, as they were cleaning out offices at a U.N. building in New York this morning, federal authorities tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.

The federal authorities said the office, in a U.N. building near headquarters, was being evacuated and the White House had been notified at 10 a.m.

Phosgene is not a nerve gas, it's a pulmonary agent, a choking agent. Although it may be used as a chlorinating agent in the production of nerve agent precursors.


"They need to get it out of there and put it in a safe canister," Hauer said. "It shows immense stupidity to have that kind of thing sitting around as a souvenir."


Indeed.

-Diane

Breaking on ABC:

TEXAS GOV. RICK PERRY COMMUTES INMATE KENNETH FOSTER'S DEATH SENTENCE; THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND TIME A DEATH SENTENCE HAS BEEN COMMUTED IN TEXAS


-Diane

Family Guy with George Bush.

-Diane

"Tap Three Times"

-Diane

Live From Congress: The Skull Fucking Bill Of 2007


-Diane

From last night, Olbermann's Worst Person in the World.

-Diane

NYC firefighters and family have harsh criticism for Rudy Giuliani, and don't want him to speak at the 9-11 services at Ground Zero this year. Further, the Firefighters Union has endorsed Democratic candidate for President, Chris Dodd.

-Diane

An update on the cholera outbreak in Iraq.

-Diane

GAO: Iraqi government has failed to meet 13 of the 18 benchmarks set by congress. Also, claims that missing weapons have been recovered in Turkey.

-Diane

-Diane

Tunes

Cold War Kids: "Hospital Beds"

-Diane

Countdown: Dragnet

The story you are about to see is true...

-Diane

Katrina: They're Not Coming.

Audio of a radio interview with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin five days after Katrina, still waiting for help.

-Diane

Hardball: No accountability for Abu Ghraib?

-Diane

An unidentified homeless man rests against the wall inside the Washington, DC, subway system at the White House stop. More than one in ten Americans, or 36.5 million people, live in poverty in the United States, with children and blacks the worst hit, an annual report by the US Census Bureau showed Tuesday.(AFP/File/Paul J. Richards)

-Diane

One man's pickle is another man's pickle

-Diane

Larry Craig's Guide to the Mensroom

A Family Values Production.

-Diane

Tucker Carlson Assaults Man in Restroom

Media Matters:

On the August 28 edition of MSBNC Live, hosted by MSNBC general manager Dan Abrams, Tucker Carlson, host of MSNBC's Tucker, asserted, "Having sex in a public men's room is outrageous. It's also really common. I've been bothered in men's rooms." Carlson continued, "I've been bothered in Georgetown Park," in Washington, D.C., "when I was in high school." When Abrams asked how Carlson responded to being "bothered," Carlson asserted, "I went back with someone I knew and grabbed the guy by the -- you know, and grabbed him, and ... hit him against the stall with his head, actually."


The entire disgusting discussion on video at the link.

Update: Tucker responds, but, his story doesn't add up.

-Diane

Happy Birthday to SSquirrel

Enjoy your day, SSquirrel. Many healthy, happy returns. Ditto twin sister Squirrel.

-Diane

Wednesday Monkey Blogging

Study: Multiple Stab Wounds May Be Harmful To Monkeys


-Diane

Note: Blame JL for introducing me to The Onion's video collection. ;)

Without Troop Withdrawal, US Nat'l Security a Hostage to Events in Iraq

USA Today:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most U.S. troops can be withdrawn safely from Iraq in roughly one year and the Bush administration should begin planning the pullout immediately, according to a study released Wednesday.

With the exception mostly of two brigades of about 8,000 troops who would remain in the touchy Kurdish region in the north for a year, trying to guard against conflict with Turkey, the U.S. troops would be moved to Kuwait initially, says the study by the Center for American Progress, a self-described "progressive think tank" headed by John D. Podesta, a former chief of staff to former President Clinton.

There a brigade and an air wing of some 70 to 80 planes would remain in the Persian Gulf country indefinitely. Meanwhile, the withdrawal would give the United States leeway to add 20,000 troops to the 25,000 in Afghanistan trying to counter Taliban and al-Qaeda forces.

How fast the troops depart from Iraq and most of them go home depends largely on how much essential equipment goes along with the withdrawal, according to the study.

The troops could be out of Iraq in no more than three months if the equipment is left behind, a course not proposed in the study.

On the other hand, "if the United States does not set a specific timetable, our military forces and our overall national security will remain hostage to events on the ground in Iraq," the report said.

Even worse, an all-out civil war could compel a withdrawal of the U.S. troops, now numbering about 160,000, in three months' time, which would force leaving valuable equipment behind and preventing control of an orderly exodus, the report said.


This sounds like a more than reasonable, well thought out plan, with great insight to the events on the ground in Iraq. No way Bush will go for something so logical. He's got World War fever.

-Diane

Petraeus: "Oops, my bad."

Just how bad US intelligence really is. The detained Iranians in Iraq are now released, officials admit is was a mistake.

-Diane

Escalating Provocation

US troops detain 7 Iranian delegates in Iraq.

-Diane

CNN on George Bush's warning of a nuclear holocaust.

-Diane

Democrat Congressman Jim Moran(VA) just retured from Iraq guests with Tucker.

Countdown

The damage done to the DOJ.





Olbermann on Larry Craig.



Bush's threats towards Iran.

-Diane

-Diane

Katie Does Baghdad, and Syria, Too

WaPo:

Katie Couric, who once expressed doubts about reporting from war zones, is heading to Iraq.

Couric leaves tonight and will anchor the "CBS Evening News" from Baghdad and Damascus, Syria, next week.

...

"I don't like frivolous anchor trips of any kind," Rick Kaplan, the broadcast's executive producer, said in an interview. "I wouldn't do this if it wasn't a timely and important thing. We didn't spend two seconds pushing her or coercing her." He said the goal was to provide greater context before mid-September, when President Bush makes public the recommendations of the U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus.

There is always a debate about how much anchors contribute with such high-profile trips that could not have been obtained by correspondents more familiar with the region. Kaplan said Couric would report as many as a dozen stories and that veteran Iraq reporter Lara Logan would do several more.

"We've gained access to some people and places we wouldn't have were it not at this kind of level," Kaplan said. "A number of doors opened up because it was Katie."


What a coup for the White House. I bet the Iraqi women can hardly wait to hear the do's and don'ts of mourning apparel.

-Diane

Oh my.

As his job approval numbers tumble, already 55% in Idaho say Craig should resign.

Seems people believe he is either a gay, stupid, liar, or a heterosexual stupid liar. Sounds like a no-win situation.

-Diane

Toilet Bandit Speaks on Bill Clinton in 1999.

From a Meet the Press interview in '99 on Bill Clinton: "A nasty, bad, naughty boy." It's really rather creepy hearing the Toilet Bandit say it. Via TalkingPointsMemo.


-Diane

Veteran's Diary

Today's Must Read:

Raf Naboa: "Stop thanking me for my service"


-Diane

Cafferty File viewers write in their thoughts on Larry Craig.

-Diane

Two three week-old Crowned Cranes play with their keeper Yancy Rentz in their enclosure at the Berlin zoo August 28, 2007. Rentz has looked after the chicks since they fell out of their nest after hatching. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke (GERMANY)


-Diane

-Diane

When the Levee Breaks

Katrina 2 Years ago Today.

-Diane

Snitchens, and Donahue on Hardball discussing Mother Teresa.

-Diane

The Situation Room

Iraq's fragile government

-Diane

Caption this.

-Diane

Craig: "I Am Not Teh Gay"

'But the guys I have sex with are.'


-Diane

Wonked

On the August 27 edition of MSNBC Live, Time magazine's Ana Marie Cox described Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales' questioning "the last time he went in front of Congress" as "legislative waterboarding."

Anchor Contessa Brewer asked for her reaction to Gonzales' resignation, to which Cox responded:

COX: Well, it's tempting to go with what John Edwards said, which is, "Better late than never." I think a lot of people in Washington, no matter what political affiliation they had, had been sort of watching this and shuddering for the guy. I mean, the last time he went in front of Congress, I felt sorry for him. It was like -- it was legislative waterboarding. You know, they just kept going after him and kept going after him.



She works for Time magazine, works for Time magazine, works for Time magazine, works for Time magazine...

-Diane

Two Years After Katrina, Thousands Still Without Homes.

Petition: http://WhenTheSaints.org It's been two years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast region, and still there are tens of thousands of families without homes. 30,000 families are scattered across the country in FEMA apartments, 13,000 are in trailers, and hardly any of
the 77,000 rental units destroyed in New Orleans have been rebuilt. Support
the Gulf Coast Recovery Bill of 2007 by signing the petition at
WhenTheSaints.org


Please help spread this far and wide, thanks.

-Diane

"Beam me up, Scottie"

[REUTERS]


-Diane

Freedom

KERBALA, Iraq (Reuters) - Police ordered hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to leave the Iraqi city of Kerbala on Tuesday as a battle raged between Iraqi security forces and gunmen near two of Shi'ite Islam's holiest shrines.

A senior security source in Baghdad said 25 people had been killed, mostly policemen. The director of Kerbala's al-Hussein Hospital said it had received eight bodies and 29 wounded.

Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier-General Abdul Kareem Khalaf told state television that reinforcements were being rushed to Kerbala from Baghdad and neighboring provinces. He said 50 people had been killed and wounded in the violence.


It seems 'progress' means dead Arabs to some. I'm just sayin'.

-Diane

BBC: No early withdrawal from Iraq for British troops, and no timetables.

-Diane

From last night, Keith Olbermann's Worst Person in the World.

-Diane

US conducting unauthorized attacks inside Pakistan.

-Diane

One of the more ridiculous attempts to cover up the fact that someone is gay, but not as good as the one about being frightened by lightening.

-Diane

It Was Peaceful Except for the Violence.

President Bush arrived in Seattle, WA yesterday to attend a nearby $1,000-per plate fundraiser. Folks weren't happy to see him...

-Diane

Oops, that wasn't supposed to happen.

ABC News:



A Bradley Fighting Vehicle was seen engulfed in flames at the side of the road leading to Baghdad Airport Tuesday morning, but there was no immediate report about the incident from the military. It appeared to have been hit by a huge explosion. The stretch of highway is one of the most heavily guarded in Iraq.



Once again, it's that one gotdamn road that no one seems able to secure after 4+ years. Progress...

-Diane

-Diane

CBS Iraqi Translator Iraq'd

Editor's Note: Anwar Lafta Abbas, an Iraqi who worked as a translator for CBS News in Baghdad, has been abducted and slain by insurgents. Abbas became the third CBS News employee to be killed in the war.



-Diane

Dire Straights: "So Far Away"

-Diane

Larry Craig, 1982: Preemptive Denial

-Diane

Bush: Gonzo Gone

-Diane

Tuesday, August 28th: Take A Stand Day

On Aug. 28th, join hundreds of thousands of Americans as they speak out and call on their representatives to Take A Stand to End the War in Iraq.

Sign up for a Take A Stand Town Hall in your community at www.iraqcampaign.org

Make your stand.

-Diane

The Gonzo Timeline

Some significant dates in the career of Alberto R. Gonzales, the nation's 80th U.S. attorney general who announced his resignation Monday.

1979: Receives bachelor's degree from Rice University, after enlisting in the Air Force in 1973 and serving at Fort Yukon, Alaska.

1982: Earns law degree from Harvard University; joins the Houston-based law firm Vinson & Elkins, whose client list included Enron and Halliburton.

1995-1997: Served as general counsel to then-Gov. George W. Bush of Texas.

Dec. 1997-Jan. 1999: Named Texas Secretary of State. In the post he serves as an adviser to the governor and as Bush's liaison on Mexico and border issues.

1999: Appointed by Bush to the Texas Supreme Court.

January 2001: Named President Bush's White House legal counsel.

Jan. 25, 2002: In a memo to Bush, Gonzales contended that the president had the right to waive anti-torture laws and international treaties that provide protections to prisoners of war. Critics, including some Senate Democrats, have said the memo helped lead to abuses of the type seen at Abu Ghraib.

June 18, 2004: Gonzales is questioned by a federal grand jury in the criminal investigation into who in the Bush administration leaked the name of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame.

Feb. 3, 2005: Confirmed and sworn in as 80th attorney general of the United States, replacing John Ashcroft, who resigned. The Senate approved the nomination, 60-36, on a largely party-line vote. His confirmation hearings grew contentious over his 2002 memo waiving anti-torture laws.

April 27, 2005: While seeking renewal of the broad powers granted law enforcement under the USA Patriot Act, Gonzales told the Senate Intelligence Committee, "There has not been one verified case of civil liberties abuse" from the law enacted after the 9/11 terror attacks.

July 24: Gonzales says he notified White House chief of staff Andy Card after the Justice Department in 2003 opened an investigation into who revealed a covert CIA officer's identity, but waited 12 hours to tell anyone else in the White House.

Dec. 15: The New York Times reports on its Web site that Bush authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States without getting search warrants.

Feb. 6, 2006: The Times reports that U.S. long-distance carriers cooperated with the NSA's warrantless wiretapping of international calls.

Feb. 6: Gonzales tells Congress the president is fully empowered to eavesdrop on Americans without warrants as part of the war on terror.

April 6: The Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee says Gonzales is "stonewalling" Congress on the warrantless eavesdropping program.

May 21: Gonzales says he believes journalists can be prosecuted for publishing classified information.

June 7: Gonzales defends the FBI's search of a Democratic congressman's office, saying it was an "unusual step" but necessary in a bribery investigation.

Nov. 18: Gonzales says critics of the administration's warrantless surveillance program define freedom in a way that poses a "grave threat" to U.S. security.

Jan. 17, 2007: Gonzales changes course and puts the government's terrorist spying program under the authority of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

Feb. 8, 2007: Former U.S. Attorney John McKay of Seattle says his resignation was ordered by the Bush administration without explanation, seven months after he received a favorable job evaluation.

March 6: Another fired federal prosecutor tells a Senate committee he felt "leaned on" by Republican Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., who hung up on him when told indictments in a corruption case against Democrats would not be issued before the fall elections.

March 9: Gonzales orders an internal Justice Department investigation into the FBI's use of the USA Patriot Act after an audit found that agents had improperly and, in some cases, illegally obtained personal information about people in the United States.

March 11: Citing the FBI's illegal snooping into people's private lives and the Justice Department's firing of federal prosecutors, Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer says it's time for Gonzales to step aside.

March 13: Gonzales accepts responsibility for mistakes in the way the Justice Department handled the dismissal of eight federal prosecutors. Gonzales says he was not closely involved in the dismissals and rejects calls for his resignation.

March 29: A former top aide to Gonzales says the attorney general was briefed regularly over two years on the firings of federal prosecutors, disputing Gonzales' claims.

April 19: At a contentious hearing, Gonzales struggles to convince skeptical senators he did nothing improper in firing eight federal prosecutors. He loses ground as a second Republican senator joins the calls for his resignation and others question his credibility.

April 23: Bush offers fresh support for Gonzales, saying "This is an honest, honorable man, in whom I have confidence."

May 10: Gonzales is questioned by the House Judiciary Committee, but seemed to weather the interrogation better than during his earlier appearance before the Senate. House Republicans echo Gonzales' call for Congress to move on from the issue of the fired prosecutors.

May 17: Two Senate Democrats say they will seek a no-confidence vote on Gonzales over accusations that he carried out President Bush's political agenda at the expense of the Justice Department's independence.

May 21: Bush calls an upcoming Senate vote of no confidence in Gonzales "pure political theater" and stands by his embattled friend.

May 23: The former Justice Department liaison to the White House, Monica Goodling, testifies before the House Judiciary Committee, saying she believes Gonzales did see a list of U.S. attorneys to be fired. She also says that during a private conversation Gonzales "laid out for me his general recollection of ... some of the process regarding the replacement of the U.S. attorneys." She says she felt the conversation was not appropriate and didn't contribute to the dialogue.

June 11: Republican senators block a symbolic vote of no confidence against Gonzales. The 53-38 vote fell seven short of the 60 votes required under U.S. Senate rules to move the nonbinding resolution to a formal debate. Gonzales says, "I am focused on the next 18 months and sprinting to the finish line."

July 10: Democrats raise new questions about whether Gonzales knew about FBI abuses of civil liberties when he told a Senate committee that no such problems occurred. Lying to Congress is a crime, but it wasn't clear if Gonzales knew about the FBI's action before he testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee seeking renewal of the broad powers granted law enforcement under the USA Patriot Act.

July 19: Gonzales is questioned in a closed-door session of the House Intelligence Committee about Bush's wiretapping program and the administration's response to congressional subpoenas. Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes says members were especially interested in the reasons behind Gonzales' controversial 2004 visit to the Ashcroft's hospital bedside, reportedly to pressure the ailing attorney general to endorse Bush's surveillance program.

July 23: Gonzales tells Congress in a statement that he's troubled that politics may have played a part in hiring career federal prosecutors.

July 24: In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee Gonzales denies that he and former White House chief of staff Andy Card tried to pressure hospitalized Attorney General John Ashcroft to re-certify Bush's domestic eavesdropping program. Gonzales' credibility was at issue throughout the proceedings, with senators of both parties growing exasperated and at some points accusing the attorney general of intentionally misleading the committee.

July 25: The Associated Press reports on documents it obtained showing that eight U.S. congressional leaders were briefed about the Bush administration's terrorist surveillance program on the eve of its expiration in 2004, contradicting sworn Senate testimony the day before by Gonzales.

July 26: FBI Director Robert S. Mueller says the government's terrorist surveillance program was the topic of a 2004 hospital room dispute between top Bush administration officials, contradicting Gonzales' sworn Senate testimony.

July 30: The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee advises Congress to hold off on a perjury investigation of Gonzales over his apparent misstatements about warrantless spying.

July 31: In a carefully worded letter to Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., that never mentions Gonzales, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell notes that the administration first acknowledged its controversial surveillance activities and used the phrase "terrorist surveillance program" in early 2006. Also, Democratic House members introduce a measure directing the House Judiciary Committee to investigate whether to impeach Gonzales.

Aug. 2: Senators in both parties concede that they don't have enough evidence to make a perjury charge stick against Gonzales.

Aug. 3: In a two-page letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, Gonzales declines to provide more information about discrepancies in his sworn testimony about the purge of federal prosecutors and its aftermath.

Aug. 11: Gonzales arrives in Baghdad for his third trip to Iraq to meet with department officials who have been there to help fashion the country's legal system.

Aug. 16: The House Judiciary Committee releases partially censored notes from Mueller, dated March 12, 2004, describing a distraught and feeble Ashcroft in his hospital room just moments after being visited by then-White House counsel Gonzales and Card, the president's chief of staff at the time.

Aug. 24: Gonzales telephones Bush at his ranch and says he is considering resigning. Bush says this is a conversation they should have in person.

Aug. 26: Gonzales arrives at Bush's ranch near Crawford, Texas, and they discuss the resignation over lunch. Gonzales signs letter of resignation.

Aug. 27: Gonzales announces his resignation and Bush publicly accepts.

Buh-Bye, Gonzo!

It's about damn time, too.

Now, will he be replaced with Chertoff as rumored? Who will replace Chertoff? Stay tuned!

-Diane

Collapse of GOP Support Amongst Young Americans

A Democracy Corps poll from the Washington firm of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner suggests voters ages 18 to 29 have undergone a striking political evolution in recent years.

Young Americans have become so profoundly alienated from Republican ideals on issues including the war in Iraq, global warming, same-sex marriage and illegal immigration that their defections suggest a political setback that could haunt Republicans "for many generations to come," the poll said.

The startling collapse of GOP support among young voters is reflected in the poll's findings that show two-thirds of young voters surveyed believe Democrats do a better job than Republicans of representing their views - even on issues Republicans once owned, such as terrorism and taxes.

And among GOP presidential candidates, only former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani registers with more positive views than negative with young voters, the poll shows.

The anti-GOP shift for this generation - which is expected to reach 50 million voters, or 17 percent of the electorate, in 2008 - represents a marked contrast from their predecessors, the Gen Xers born in the mid-'60s to mid-'70s whose demographic represented the strongest Republican voters in the nation, pollster Anna Greenberg said.

Today, "on every single issue, Democrats are doing better with young people - no matter what the issue is," said Greenberg.

Catherine Brinkman, 28, of Foster City, who heads the California Young Republicans, said she hears from many of her Republican friends who say, " 'Look at our (presidential) candidates compared to the Democrats: They have Hillary, everyone knows her ... and you have this phenomenal (senator) out of Chicago, who is African American and energized.' "

The perception is that "we're still selling the same old white guys," Brinkman said.



It just makes good sense to be drawn to the Dem party. It's the party of the people -- the heart of the nation -- and the repubs are the party for the top 1%. Oh, and that kitten thing. I hear they eat their own, too...


-Diane

3,000 March on Bush Kennebunkport Estate

At at peace protest in Kennebunkport on August 25, protesters called for the impeachment of George Bush.

-Diane

-Diane

Fernando Garcia (bottom) and Natalia Tonelli of Argentina, representing the city of Lanus, perform as other participants applaud after they won the final round stage category of Argentina's fifth edition of the Tango Dance World Championship in Buenos Aires August 25, 2007. Around 450 professional tango couples as well as amateur dancers from around the world took part in the tournament.

[REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci]


-Diane

"We Stand By Our Miners"

A sign posted on a fence at Canyon View Junior High expresses support for the six coal miners who have been trapped in the Crandall Canyon mine since August 6 and the rescue crews involved in the rescue efforts in Huntington, Utah, August 21, 2007. Mine officials will drill a seventh bore hole into a Utah mine in a continuing effort to find six missing coal miners after the latest effort turned up no sign of the men, officials said on Sunday.

[REUTERS/Ramin Rahimian]

-Diane

What Polar Ice?

New statistics from research by two US agencies surveying the Arctic claim that polar ice is melting three times faster than had been thought.

The US Snow and Ice Data Centre and its Center for Atmospheric Research have now concluded that sea ice has shrunk to a record low.

They say that by 2020 there may no longer be summer ice in the Arctic - a full three decades earlier than predicted.



-Diane

Olbermann's Worst Person

-Diane

That ain't the way to have fun.

-Diane

Wallace on Moyers on Rove

Wallace is too damn smug for his own good.

-Diane

John Warner on Meet the Press

Here is the key portion of the transcript(the rest is available online at MSNBC)and if you take nothing else away from this interview, make note that Senator Warner believes that weapons are flowing into Iraq from Iran, and he believes the evidence that this administration is providing. Why anyone in their right mind would believe alleged weapons allegations from this administration after the lead-up to the Iraq war beats the hell out of me. It could be that maybe I've answered my own question there, I do not know.

MR. RUSSERT: You came back from Iraq and suggested to the president that he begin to withdraw some troops by Christmas of this year. What message were you trying to send to the president?

SEN. WARNER: The exact words, said I, “Most respectfully, Mr. President, and I mean this, most respectfully suggest that you put some teeth behind your words.” You go back to the January 10th message when he instituted the surge, he said, “We will, in partnership with Maliki, we’ll do the military part and bring about a lessening of the severe security threats. That will enable you to have,” and I quote him, “breathing space.” And now, Mr. Maliki, you do the political reconciliation. And with the convergence of those two actions, we hope to bring about a greater stability for Iraq. Our troops have performed magnificently under brilliant leadership and have done precisely as the president asked. They have made measurable gains in bringing about a degree of stability in Baghdad and the environs. But the government, under the leadership of Maliki and other Iraqi leaders, have totally failed to put the other part of that partnership in place, namely deliver greater security...

MR. RUSSERT: Is the headline...

SEN. WARNER: ...and reconciliation.

MR. RUSSERT: Is the headline Warner to Bush: Withdraw troops and get Maliki’s attention?

SEN. WARNER: That’s correct. I put this out as a suggestion and put it in the public domain. It’s drawn a lot of controversy, I recognize that. But this will help the American people better understand the complexity of the many issues that are going to be brought up to the president first by the ambassador, a very able man, coming back from Iraq; General Petraeus, the overall on-scene commander; General Jones, who is preparing a special report on the status of the security forces; and, indeed, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is going to come forward with his views. All this converges in the first 15 days of September. And then under the law—I had a hand in writing that law—the president will advise the people of this country and the Congress on such changes in strategies as he, as the president, desires.

MR. RUSSERT: A U.S. military commander in Iraq has offered a response to you. He—in one of the most troubled areas, he said “that embracing John Warner’s call to begin troop withdrawals before the end of the year ‘would be a giant step backward.’” Army Major General Rick Lynch, commander of troops south of Baghdad said in such a scenario militants pushed from his sector in recent operations would quickly return. “If coalition soldiers were to leave, having fought hard for what—that terrain, having denied the enemy their sanctuaries, what would happen is the enemy would come back. He’d start building the bombs again, he’d start attacking the locals again, he’d start exporting that violence into Baghdad, and we would take a giant step backward.”

SEN. WARNER: My first reply is I thank the general and all of the others in his command and all those throughout Iraq in uniform and, indeed, many civilians that are taking the risk to make the surge work. But I draw to the general’s attention the fact that witnesses have come before the Armed Services Committee and the Congress time and time again, senior officers, and said there’s no military solution to this problem.

Listen to what Admiral Mullens said when he came up for clearance to be the next chairman. Incoming Chairman Mullens stated, “Without political progress in Iraq, no amount of troops, no amount of time will make much of a difference.”

So with all respect to the general, what I’m trying to do, General, is to get the attention of our president, those making a decision and, indeed, the American public of the necessity to bring some type of decisive pressure upon this government to deliver on the reconciliation. Reconciliation, General Lynch, can bring about a greater cessation, a greater stability, not only in your region but throughout Iraq, than all the bullets and the arms together.

MR. RUSSERT: Do you believe that the Iraqi armor is strong enough to secure the country by taking the lead role with their defense forces?

SEN. WARNER: On this trip we learned, and it was somewhat to my surprise, that our commander said there’s been noticeable improvement in the ability of the Iraqi forces to take charge and do certain operations. They still require a great deal of backup, particularly as it relates to logistics and heavy weapon and air power and intelligence from the coalition forces—principly the United States—but they are making progress. But I want to wait until what General Jones and a team of very dedicated, some 20-odd retired individuals, who’ve gone over there on two occasions spent a lot of time, and they’re going to file their report on 4 September, and it’ll be made available to the public as soon as Congress hears from General Jones. I anticipate that’ll be on the 6th of September.

MR. RUSSERT: As you know, the Los Angeles Times reported that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Peter Pace, is going to recommend to the president that there be a significant withdrawal next year, perhaps more than half the troops in Iraq, perhaps over 100,000. He said that that is a speculative report, but you’ve heard the testimony. Can the United States keep 150,000 men and women in Iraq throughout 2008 without straining the military?

SEN. WARNER: Clearly, the—all military advisers indicate that we’ve gone to this extreme of requiring our soldiers to stay 15 months in that intense heat and climate and all those risks. You have to go beyond that 15 months if you tried to push them further into 2008. What—now, I want to make it clear that I have checked out that report that’s in the Los Angeles Times. The Pentagon at this time is not fully knocking it down nor verifying it, but you’ve got to give the chairman a chance to come forward himself.

This week I have learned the Department of Defense and our field commanders in Iraq, General Petraeus and another very able field commander, General Odierno, are going to sit down and communicate with the White House team and reconcile such difference of abuse and approaches as they have. The team in Iraq wanted to stay there with the full force as long as they can, obviously. The team back home are looking at the broader picture that it’s putting a stress on the military forces, which, in the words of General Casey, could jeopardize the all-volunteer force. And secondly, if America is faced with other contingencies and has to resort to the utilization of our—particularly our ground forces quickly, will that contingency be able to be filled by trained and ready troops?

MR. RUSSERT: And what’s the answer?

SEN. WARNER: The answer is clearly we have a problem and we better solve it.

MR. RUSSERT: Bottom line, Senator, we have no choice, by listening to you, than to have a significant withdrawal of troops from Iraq next year.

SEN. WARNER: I’m going to leave that to the president to announce or address that issue on the 15th of September.

MR. RUSSERT: The National Intelligence Estimate is out, and it talks about political reconciliation, saying that it is unlikely to emerge, assessing the current situation on the ground. The Washington Post quoted Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki this way, that he “rebuked American politicians for threatening” “withdraw support from his government, suggesting while” he’s in Syria “that he could ‘find friends elsewhere’ if he was abandoned by the United States.” And, “‘No one has the right to place timetables on the Iraq government.’” Do you agree with that?

SEN. WARNER: They’re a sovereign nation, Tim. We established that sovereignty, and they have the earmarks of democracy. Whether democracy as we understand it here in the West will eventually survive, I don’t know. But it is essential, and I fully support the president’s view that this region is vital to our current and future national security interests, and, indeed, many other nations of the world, not only in relationship for maintaining a democracy in Israel, but how we go about resolving problems in Lebanon, in Palestine area, the serious situation between Iran trying to develop nuclear weapons. We must maintain, as a nation, the United States, every ounce of credibility we can in that region.

MR. RUSSERT: But, Senator, we’ve lost nearly 4,000 men and women, 25,000 injured and wounded. Do we not have a right and obligation to put timetables on the Iraqi government for performance or say, :If you don’t meet those, we will get out”?

SEN. WARNER: That’s precisely what I said to the president. I said, “Here is an option. You can initiate a first withdrawal. You pick the number, Mr. President. And it would send a signal to the Iraqi government that matches your words.” His words being, “We’re not going to be there forever.” And Ambassador Crocker just recently said, “We’re not giving you a blank check.” So I think we’ve got to show our resolve in the face of the Iraqi government in action, and—but I want the president to make the decision, as he’s under the Constitution required, with regard to when the troops stay, when they leave, not the Congress trying to write and enforce that timetable.

MR. RUSSERT: But you have, you have no problem for President Bush to give Prime Minister Maliki a timetable for performance?

SEN. WARNER: All President Bush has got to say is back up his words “We’re not going to be there forever.” This is just one idea. If there’s a better idea, put it on the table, I say to those who criticized it. Put it on the table. But the president has got to talk; I think put teeth in these comments that we’re not there forever.

MR. RUSSERT: Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of the Shiite militias, Prime Minister Maliki told Richard Engel of the NBC News, who’ll be on the program later, that he and Sadr are from the same school and that he does not see Sadr as a threat to Iraq. Do you agree?

SEN. WARNER: That’s very troublesome. Sadr has a very significant military force—we call it the private militias—under his command and control. I say “under his.” Sometimes they deviate and are more militant, perhaps, than he would like. Hakim also has, over here, the Badr corps, another military outfit. They’re constantly fighting together. The point is that I think Sadr is a force to be reckoned with, and it’s, it’s a force that you’ve got to be very careful of how you deal with. But I think Maliki has failed in trying to eliminate those private militias. Because they’re clearly receiving help, support and weapons from Iran. We know that to be a fact.

MR. RUSSERT: Is Sadr anti-American?

SEN. WARNER: I think Sadr is looking out for Sadr’s interest. This whole thing in Iraq, Tim, regrettably, is a struggle for power. The Shia at the present time have the greater proportion. The Sunnis want to get as much power back as they can, and this cleavage is what undercuts everything with all of this internecine warfare, this fighting between Shia, Sunni. And the Kurds are sitting back, because they have a little more security up there where they are, and we gave them security in the early days, you know? And they’re just hoping to try and get their piece. But unless you get a unity government with Sunni, Shia and Kurds reconciled on what is their proportion of the government, what is their proportion of the natural resources, and what is their proportion of the funds that flow out of the government to the various parts of Iraq, you’re not going to get any peace.

MR. RUSSERT: If the president on September 15th receives these reports but decides not to withdraw troops, decides to go forward with the surge, what do you do?

SEN. WARNER: That’s his right to do that, and I will respect it. But I would say, “Mr. President, in the absence of trying to do something like I’m suggesting to get the Iraq government motivated to begin to perform, Mr. President, what they committed to you circa January 10th of this year as a predicate, as a foundation, as a reason for starting the surge—namely, the coalition forces, notably the United States working with Iraqi forces, will give you the security, then prime minister and the government, you make national reconciliation.” Now, that hasn’t been filled, I would—I’m looking for, in that message of the 15th, what the president’s going to do to get this government jump-started to deliver on its commitment to our troops, “You fight and die, get the security, I will deliver Iraq as a reconciled unity government.”

MR. RUSSERT: Senator, let me show you what you said 11 months ago. You said, “In two or three months”—this is October of ‘06--“if this thing hasn’t come to fruition, and if this level of violence is not under control and this government” not “able to function, I think it’s the responsibility of our government, internally, to determine: Is there a change of course that we should take?” Now it’s almost a year later. If the president says, “Sorry, Warner, I’m not withdrawing troops. It’s full speed ahead with the surge, do you sit by and accept status quo?”

SEN. WARNER: Tim, let’s go back. I did come back, as you say, 11 months, and I used that phrase. I felt the thing in Iraq was drifting sideways, and a lot of anger was generated by that. But, as a consequence of my statement, statements of other colleagues and other individuals, guess what? The administration went to general quarters and studied this whole situation all during November, December and into January, and the president did react to what I had said, and he changed the strategy and enunciated with the concept of the surge beginning January 10th. Now, I wasn’t fully supportive with all aspects of that surge. I felt that he should call on the Iraqi soldiers to get in between this civil strife between Sunni and Shia as generated by religious differences and power grabs. But anyway, I supported him, and I have constantly voted against efforts to set a timetable by Congress as opposed to the right of the president to set his own timetable with regard to withdrawal. So the president did react to what I and others said in the fall.

MR. RUSSERT: If the president does not set a timetable, do you reserve the right to break with him and begin supporting efforts to set a congressional timetable?

SEN. WARNER: You know, this president, I know him pretty well. It’s a privilege. I remember this Memorial Day, he invited me to go to the ceremonies at Arlington. My wife and I went up. We drove up in the car with him and drove back. And I sensed, as we passed those white crosses after he spoke up there and came back, he feels most sincerely the loss of our forces. No one wants them to come home more than the president of the United States and the first lady. But I’m telling you, he’ll have to make that decision. Am I going to suddenly go breaking? I’m going to have to evaluate it and then, as all other senators—we’re an independent branch of our government, co-equal in many respects with authority and responsibility—we’ll have to make our decision as to what we’ll do.

MR. RUSSERT: Mitch Mc...

SEN. WARNER: I don’t say that as a threat, but I say that is an option we all have to consider.

MR. RUSSERT: Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Republicans, said in May that if by year’s end this situation has not improved in terms of military and political reconciliation, if the president doesn’t change policy, Congress will do it for him. Do you agree?

SEN. WARNER: There is the opportunity for Congress to do it, but mind you, look at how they would have to do it. They would have to vote, let’s say, some type of troop program, taking away from the president really his constitutional power to make those decisions, then that would have to go to the president. He could veto it, then it comes back for 67 votes. We saw this here recently. Now, that’s a really an unwise way for our government to function. I, I don’t think the president will, will be in any way overridden in his veto. I don’t think...

MR. RUSSERT: But, Senator...

SEN. WARNER: ...33 senators are...

MR. RUSSERT: Senator, you talk, you talk to your colleagues...

SEN. WARNER: Yes, I understand.

MR. RUSSERT: ...your fellow, your fellow Republicans. Your comments, will they now have the cover to come out and begin to separate themselves from the president? Are they worried about the war in Iraq and the 2008 elections?

SEN. WARNER: Every one of those senators is worried. I don’t use the word cover. I think they believe this war in Iraq is the most serious issue that they have to address. They have their own individual responsibilities, their own views. Now, we will see, after we get back in September and we get together in groups and talk amongst each other, we’ll have a consensus. But we should all wait until the, the president assesses testimony which will be given to the Congress prior to when this president speaks. Petraeus and Crocker will come up and address the relevant committees of the Congress—we put this in the law—in the first week or so of September. We’ll have access to many of the things that I think the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, while it’s confidential, I’m sure he’ll share some thoughts. Jones will share some thoughts. Maybe others will speak out, as I have done, on options. But we should wait till the president speaks. After he speaks, then we’ll have to make our own assessment.

MR. RUSSERT: If the president recommends continuation of the status quo, would that trigger a rebellion amongst the Republicans in the Senate?

SEN. WARNER: I’m not going to bite on that one. We’re going to be respectful of this constitutional process in our country. As I say, I had a hand in writing the law requiring these various steps to take place. I think, in due respect to the office of the president, let him make the decisions and then we’ll speak.



-Diane

Female pilgrims pray inside the shrine of Imam Abbas in the holy city of Karbala, 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2007. Over a million of Shiite pilgrims from throughout the world are expected to visit the Shiite holy city of Karbala for the Shabaniyah festival that marks the birth of Mohammed al-Mahdi, the 12th and last Shiite Imam who disappeared in the 9th century. The celebrations will reach their high point late Tuesday and early Wednesday. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

-Diane

The winged statue of victory stands in front of smoke from fires in the village of ancient Olympia near the birthplace of the Olympic Games, in southwestern Greece on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2007. A massive effort by firefighters, assisted by water-dropping aircraft and firetrucks, succeeded in keeping a raging blaze away from the 2,800-year-old site — the holiest sanctuary in ancient Greece. Three days of forest blazes throughout the country have left at least 57 people dead, authorities said Sunday. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

-Diane

-Diane

Bush 'stay the course'/'we're making progress' media campaign.

-Diane

Code Pink Heads to Kennebunkport

A beautiful day to make a statement.


Neighbors seem to be enjoying things.



Poor bastard with nothing better more important to say than an attempt at a slam at Cindy Sheehan. Note the poor children forced to wear those ridiculous Bush/Cheney hats...



My favorite from the day. Meet the 99%. Indeed.

-Diane

Snitchens Reaches Critical Mass

Infuriated by Bush's "crass comparison" between Vietnam and Iraq, so begins Snitchen's latest sauced up tirade:

"How do I dislike President George Bush? Let me count the ways. Most of them have to do with his contented assumption that 'faith' is, in and of itself, a virtue. This self-satisfied mentality helps explain almost everything, from the smug expression on his face to the way in which, as governor of Texas, he signed all those death warrants without losing a second's composure."

...


"If one question is rightly settled in the American and, indeed, the international memory, it is that the Vietnam War was at best a titanic blunder and at worst a campaign of atrocity and aggression."


Okay, so the Vietnam gaffe pushed him further over the edge. Then in the last paragraph, he ends with this:


"Change only the name of the analogous country and it becomes fairly clear that in Iraq we are fighting not the Vietcong, but the Khmer Rouge, as the Vietcong eventually had to do on our behalf."


Okay, so he "dislikes" George W. Bush -- he's seemingly infuriated over the Vietnam comparison -- but he agrees with it? Call me confused...or just pass me the bourbon , already.

-Diane

Bill Maher's New Rules.

-Diane

-Diane

A Puerto Rican police officer, who did not give his name, prays for a friend killed in Iraq at a memorial for Puerto Ricans who have died while serving in the US Armed Forces in Iraq, in Old San Juan, Friday, Aug. 24, 2007. Boots labeled with the names of those who have died in the conflict were adorned with candles and flowers, in protest of the war, and to coincide with the upcoming US National Guard Convention in Puerto Rico. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)


-Diane

Show me the Progress!

BAGHDAD - This year's U.S. troop buildup has succeeded in bringing violence in Baghdad down from peak levels, but the death toll from sectarian attacks around the country is running nearly double the pace from a year ago.

Some of the recent bloodshed appears the result of militant fighters drifting into parts of northern Iraq, where they have fled after U.S.-led offensives. Baghdad, however, still accounts for slightly more than half of all war-related killings — the same percentage as a year ago, according to figures compiled by The Associated Press.

The tallies and trends offer a sobering snapshot after an additional 30,000 U.S. troops began campaigns in February to regain control of the Baghdad area. It also highlights one of the major themes expected in next month's Iraq progress report to Congress: some military headway, but extremist factions are far from broken.

In street-level terms, it means life for average Iraqis appears to be even more perilous and unpredictable.

The AP tracking includes Iraqi civilians, government officials, police and security forces killed in attacks such as gunfights and bombings, which are frequently blamed on Sunni suicide strikes. It also includes execution-style killings — largely the work of Shiite death squads.

The figures are considered a minimum based on AP reporting. The actual numbers are likely higher, as many killings go unreported or uncounted. Insurgent deaths are not a part of the Iraqi count.

The findings include:

• Iraq is suffering about double the number of war-related deaths throughout the country compared with last year — an average daily toll of 33 in 2006, and 62 so far this year.

• Nearly 1,000 more people have been killed in violence across Iraq in the first eight months of this year than in all of 2006. So far this year, about 14,800 people have died in war-related attacks and sectarian murders. AP reporting accounted for 13,811 deaths in 2006. The United Nations and other sources placed the 2006 toll far higher.

• Baghdad has gone from representing 76 percent of all civilian and police war-related deaths in Iraq in January to 52 percent in July, bringing it back to the same spot it was roughly a year ago.

_According to the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization, the number of displaced Iraqis has more than doubled since the start of the year, from 447,337 on Jan. 1 to 1.14 million on July 31.

However, Brig. Gen. Richard Sherlock, deputy director for operational planning for the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said violence in Iraq "has continued to decline and is at the lowest level since June 2006."

He offered no statistics to back his claim, but in a briefing with reporters at the Pentagon on Friday he warned insurgents might try intensify attacks in Iraq to coincide with three milestones: the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S., the beginning of Ramadan and the report to Congress.

Once again I say, more occupation forces, more civilian deaths. It isn't rocket science. Even a dirty fucking hippie like me can understand it.

End the madness!

-Diane

Correction: BAGHDAD - In an Aug. 25 story about war-related deaths in Iraq, The Associated Press misstated the average number of daily fatalities in 2006 for Iraqi civilians. The correct daily average is 37, not 33. The AP reported the average daily death toll so far in 2007 is "nearly double" compared with last year. The figure is a nearly 68 percent increase.